”I wanted to be the No.1 pick” - Paul Pierce on why he didn’t leave Kansas after a strong sophomore season
Paul Pierce could have left Kansas after a solid sophomore season. Pierce averaged 16.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game during his second year with the Jayhawks. He led Kansas to the inaugural Big 12 title and won tournament MVP honors after putting up 21.7 points per game during the competition.
Despite having a resume of a likely lottery pick, he chose to return for his junior year. Speaking to SI.com, Pierce said 'unfinished business' was why he passed on an earlier entry to the NBA.
“I wanted to win a national championship," admitted Pierce."And I wanted to be the No. 1 pick."
Unfinished business
During Pierce's freshman season, the 1995-96 Jayhawks went 29-5 overall and were the No.4 ranked team in the country. Behind Raef LaFrentz, Jacque Vaughn, and Scot Pollard, they made it all the way to the Elite 8 where they lost to Syracuse.
The following year, they had a 34-2 season and were an impressive 15-1 in the new Big 12 Conference. But after taking home the first-ever Big 12 title, they came up short again in the tournament, this time falling in the Big 16. With Pierce establishing himself as one of the nation's top players, he believed they could win it all if he gave it one more try.
Pierce and LaFrentz were a dominant duo during the 1997-98 NCAA season. Kansas won a second straight Big 12 title, while Pierce won Tournament MVP honors for the second consecutive year. However, the team was upset in the tournament's second round, and Pierce declared for the 1998 NBA Draft.
Pierce passed on in the Draft
Not only was Pierce's NCAA championship hopes crushed, but his aspiration to be the Top pick evaporated after Michael Olowokandi quickly improved. With scouts drooling over Kandi's unlimited upside, the L.A. Clippers picked him first overall in the 1998 NBA Draft. Pierce said he was supposed to be selected second by the Grizzlies, but player agent David Falk 'pulled a power move' which caused him to drop all the way down to No. 10.
“He pulled a power move; he went up to the GM, I forgot who the GM was at the time, but it was in Vancouver. And he went up to the office and told them they were going to pick Mike Bibby at No. 2 instead of me. And that caused a domino effect.”
That domino effect led him to the Boston Celtics, while Olowokandi was one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history. Mike Bibby, whom the Grizzlies picked over Pierce at No. 2, never won an NBA championship. Meanwhile, Pierce became the first and one of only two players in his draft class to win an NBA title.
